Electric sparking igniter for explosive-engines.



PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

' L. A. SMITH.

ELECTRIC SPARKING IGNITBR FOR BXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR, 16. 1904.

(11/ I1 IIIII ATTORNEYS WITNESSES: ,5" z" ed by employing heat externally in order to itself.

- her which communicates with l 4 inder, but holds the bulk of a part of-the fuel.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEM A. SMITH, OF EN GLEWOOD', NEW JERSEY. ELECTRIC SPARKING IGNITER FOR EXPLO SlVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

To all whom, it may concern:

- Be it known that I, LEM A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of .5 New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Sparking Igmters for Explosive-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

cleaiir, and exact description of the invention,

suc which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanymg drawings,- and to characters-of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to internal-combustion engines of the type wherein the i nition" produce theuex osions. 1s caused by compressing the fuel to t e igni-' of the fuel in order to tion-point. In one class of such engines this compressing is effected by means auxiliary to the main cylinder and piston, "the resultant flame being directed into the main cylinder to ignite the main body of fuel therein, and thus'produce the explosions which do the workof actuating the piston. In-this case the engine is readily started by turning it over two or three times by hand or other external means until the explosions in the auxiliary cylinder begin to occur. In another class of these engines the explosions in themain cylinder are produced without auxillary ignition bycauslng the piston to compress the fuel to the ignition-point on the ack stroke. In this case the engine is start of engines that my invention particularly relates. In common practice in this specific class of engines the auxlhar heating 1s accom lished by applying a ame at a rela.-'

tive ysmall, and hence quickly-heated, char-n relatively detached from thereof in the cylinder.

The principal object of my invention i's-to provide a universally available internal-corn;-

' ustion engine in which kerosene, as oneof the -main' body as will'enable others skilled in the art to the main cyloils, can eused.

The use of kerosene-oil .as the source of power to gperate engines generally has been lmlted. ploy it in the type of engine where an electric partly because not enough heat is thereby generated to cause exploslons and partly beto for the purpose of starting the engine its employment has been restricted by its environment, for in mining machinery, for 111'- the use of an .ex osed flame orother means giving a heat su 'cient tobringthe fuel in the engine to the explosion-point.

The invention will be found fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinternal-combu'stion engine constructed after Y the principles of my invention. Fig- 2 is a side view of said engine, showin its cylinder and certain accessories thereo in vertical section; and Fig. 3 is an enlargedview showing the upper portion of said cylinder and certain accessories thereof invertical section.

' In said drawings,ra is the cylinder, and l) and the usual exhaust and controlling means therefor, (shown atcl) Thecylinder stands vertically on a base (Z ,-'which is supported b a pedestal e, inwhich'latter is journa f, which is drivenfrom th'e 'plsto'n' I) through a crank' gfandipit'man h, i y

The cylinder is shownasof the type (illus trated infthe aforementioned references) haw 'tached. This chamber'forrns .an'easily-heat .ed: adjuntof the cylinder?- and is therefore first heating'the. fuel inclosed by it and for 'maintaini'ng the explosions becoming sutfieiently-iheate'd=hy eachfexplosion to cause the chea est, generally obtainable, and safest .sparker is employed to effect the ignition,

cause the points of the sparker sooner or later where the auxiliary igniting is only resorted in Figure. l is a View in frontelevation of'an' the piston, the former having a fuel-supply c ed a shaft ing a snrmountingextensionechamberi atreadily adaptedfof starting" the engine by t is found impracticable to emstance, it is not available on account of the I danger of explosions .in the mlne following oninvention I'employ means for forming a voltransversely penetrate the socket portions of closed.

points.

the igniting means and the fuel-adniitting 2 see,

the succeeding explosion upon proper condit ons of the fuel as to mlxture and compression. v I

In carrying out the object of my present taic arc in the cylinder. I will now describe this means with reference particularly to Fig. 3. In thisfigure andv lc are positive and negative carbons, respectively. These are fitted into sockets l in the ends of adjustingscrews m, being held therein by pins n, which the screws and the carbons. The screws m are tapped into metallic thimbles 0, and these in turn-are set into tubular insulatingshells 1), one end of each of which, except for an axial opening g, through which the carbon projects and wherein the carbon is guided, is

The insulators p, carrying the carbons, their adjusting-screws, and the thimbles 0 in any arrangement in which the igniting means is located in a recess forming a part of the explosion-chamber, but set apart from the space of the latter in which the piston plays and having its wall portion adapted to be more quickly heated than the remaining wal portion of the inclosure and in which a baffleplate is located between the igniting means and the fuel-admitting means and close to the former.

In order that the engine may store up its own sourceof electrical ener y necessary for producing the are at the car ons, a dynamo --w is shown mounted on-the pedestal e asdriven by friction-from one of the wheels at on the shaft f of the engine, such dynamo being adapted to be connected .with a storage battery 1 through Wiring 2 1, comprising, with the elementsof said battery and the dynamo, an electrical circuit. By a switch 2 in the wiring 2 this circuit may be opened or. closed.

themanner above described, are screwed into the cylinder at diametrically opposite points, so that the carbons may be brought'point to point 'alined. It is preferable in securing this assemblage of the parts to form a transverse hole 7" through the cylinder head, tapped, as at s, at its outer ends to receive the screw-threading t on "the insulators; In the engine shown in the drawings, Where the extension-chamber t is included inxits con struction, the carbon-points will stand in a passa e a, whereby communication between the cy in'der and the interior of the extensionchamber is afforded: Thus arranged the carbons are disposed out of the cylinder-s r ace, allowing the piston full play from one end' to the other thereof. This arrangement also brings the carbons into. close disposition to metallic surfaces, so that the latter coact with the carbons, by becoming heated, to raise the temperature oithe fuel to that condition which upon sufficient compression is essential to the explosion. A metallic baflieplate v is arranged in proximity to the car'- bon-points and relatively between them and the point where the fuel isdischarged-into the cylinder. This will act to not only prevent the fuel from being directly impelled on'the carbons, but will tend to bring the air and vapor into a more homogeneous mixture before comin into ignition proximity to the carbons. t moreover increases the area of metallic heat-storing surface which it is desired, for the reason above mentioned, to bring in close disposition to the carbon- The arran ement above described and shown in the rawings involves an extensionchari'iber attached to the main cylinder, an ighiting means located in a passage leading t ereto, and a baffle-plate arranged between means and close to the former; but it will be The ortion of Wiring 2 between the switch and t 1e battery has a branch 3 which leads to one of the thimbles 0, to which it is electrically oonnectedl 4 is-another wire, which is'connected at one end to the th" ble 0 for the other carbon and extends to a 'point near wiring 1, to,which it may be connected by a switch 5 when necessary. If desired, a lighting or other service circuit 6 may form a a branch of the circuit in which wires 3 4,.the-

storage battery, eluded. When the switch 2 isclosed and the switch 5 open, the dynamo when driven will store up the electrical energy in the storage battery. switch 5 the energy thus stored up may beused trrform the are between carbons j and 7c; Having thus-fully described. my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. The combination, with the explosioninclosure and apiston arranged therein, said 'inclosure having a recess set apart from the. space therein in which the piston plays, of an electric igniting meansarrangedin' said recess, means for admitting fuelinto the cylinder, and a baflie-plate arranged between said igniting means and the fuel-admittingmeans and close to the former, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a cylinder, a piston arranged therein, an extension-chamber attached to said cylinder, said cylinder having a recess forminga passage communicating understood that my invention contemplates tache to said. cylinder, said cylinder having and the carbons' are ina recess forming a passage communicating In testimony that I claim the foregoing I withjthe interior of said chamber, an electrichave hereunto set my hand this 8th day of 1c arc-forming means arranged in said passa e, April, 1904.

means for admittini the fuel into the cylinder, and a metallic' aflle-plate arranged be- LEM SMITH tween said arc-forming means and the fuel- Witnesses: admitting means and close to the former, i EDWARDS M. SMITH substantially as described. A. M. JOHNSTON. 

